Welland ME-601J

The Welland ME-601J connects 2.5" and 3.5" disks via a USB docking station that is ideal for frequent connections. You would use the Welland ME-601J if you peform a lot of computer installations and want to preload a prebuilt operating system to hundreds of disks. You could also use it for mass pirating of software but you probably use free open source software which means it is not pirating.

Choice of disk

Welland ME-601J lets you work with both the standard desktop/server 3.5" disk and the 2.5" disk popular in notebooks and for transport between home and the office. The top plate slides open for the larger disk then slides back in for the smaller disks.

You have a disk you want to connect temporarily. Using a USB or eSATA case saves you opening your computer but means you have to open the USB case. The Welland ME-601J docking station has the disk out in the open with no case to slow you down. You can have it sitting next to your head without a noisy fan distracting you from your work. When you finish copying files to or from the disk, you take the disk with you to the next computer.

As a backup device, the Welland ME-601J has the advantage of being easy to remove when you are finished. You could finish work by backing up to the device then moving the device to a fire proof safe. note that the disk is unprotected. Keep the original plastic protective cases for your backup disks.

eSATA is faster than USB and is only on new computers. When you are transferring from an old computer to a new computer, you can backup the old computer using the USB connection then connect to the new computer using eSATA. Do not limit yourself to a USB device without eSATA.

There is a sliding cover to keep out the dust when you use 2.5" disks.

Backup

When one disk breaks, you want a backup on a second disk. If all your disks are the same age, brand, and used in similar circumstances, you can have more than one break at the same time. Backup to several devices. If you regularly replace old computers with new computers, you could quickly step through backups to several disks without having to open a case. The same time saving occurs when copying the files to the new computer.

USB disks can easily be moved to a fire proof safe but they cost more than bare disks and take up more space. Bare disks in slim protective shipping cases cost less and use less room. The Welland ME-601J lets you shuffle through several backup disks quickly.

Conclusion

Consider one or two Welland ME-601Js for your computer service workbench and for backups involving more than one disk. I-Tech have Welland products at a good price and with reasonable delivery costs in Australia.